Female incontinence device

Abstract

An incontinence device for females is intended for long term wear. It includes a tubular sheath integral with a funnel and a urine-conducting pipe. The sheath is secured to a pad of adhesive material having a central hole leading into the interior of the sheath. The pad is dimensioned so that it can be stuck to the skin of the wearer in the region immediately surrounding the urethral orifice (meatus).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An incontinence device for females consisting of an adhesive pad having an upper adhesive layer that in use contacts the body and a lower non-adhesive side, said upper adhesive layer of said pad comprising a homogeneous blend of one or more water soluble or swellable hydrocolloids in a viscous elastic binder and said lower non-adhesive side of said pad is a film of polymeric material, said pad is dimensioned so that it can be stuck to the skin of the wearer in the region immediately surrounding the urethral orifice, said pad having a centrally located aperture through said adhesive layer and said non-adhesive side, and a tubular sheath having an upper end that is strengthened by beading and a lower end that is integral with a funnel that empties into a urine-conducting pipe, said tubular sheath including a cylindrical chamber intermediate to said upper and lower ends, wherein the upper end of said sheath has a narrower diameter then said cylindrical chamber and passes through the aperture in said adhesive pad and said beading is adhesively secured to the adhesive layer of said pad. 
     
     
       2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said sheath is latex rubber having a wall thickness from about 0.025 to about 0.1 mm., said narrow diameter upper end is from about 0.8 to 1.0 cm., and the remaining cylindrical sheath portion is from about 11 to about 16 cm. long and has an unstretched diameter of from about 2 to about 3 cm. 
     
     
       3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said adhesive pad is generally triangular in shape with rounded corners, said triangle being an isosceles triangle with sides of lengths in the ranges 2 to 3.5 cms., 2 to 3.5 cms., and 1.5 to 2.75 cms. and said pad having a thickness of about 0.3 to 0.8 mm.